How Not to Fail your New Year Resolution

This may not sit well with you, but it's something that you need to know, and so I'm just going to come out and say it.

See, the way I see it, they're insulting your intelligence.

Who's "they"?

THEY are the talking heads you see on TV and hear on the radio. And I'm convinced they're trying to make you fatter.

Every year at about this time all you see, hear and read about are people making the big three New Year’s resolutions: make more money, quit smoking, and lose weight.

Now, I don't know the success rate of the first two, but as a fitness expert and someone who has helped dozens and dozens of folks lose weight and get in better shape, I can tell you (and statistics prove) that most people who resolve to lose weight in the new year are doomed.

In fact, an article I just read on CNN.com said that most people who have a New Year’s resolution to lose weight fail.

In the same article, clinical psychologist Mark Crawford of Roswell, Georgia said that one reason people fail is that they sabotage themselves.

I believe this to be true.

I've seen it myself.

You'll start off in mid-to-late December telling yourself that you will commit to losing weight starting in the upcoming new year. In the weeks preceding the new year, you formulate a plan of sorts... to eat less, to make better choices, to exercise more, and to pick up better habits.

And that's the EXACT roadmap to failure!

And that's why I'm writing you today to warn you of this impending doom IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO MAKE THIS "NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION" MISTAKE.

Here's what I mean.

Look, I'm going to be brutally honest with you because I can't see the "media" telling you this truth anytime soon. The reason most people fail at losing weight in the new year is because...

1. Their goals are probably unrealistic, and so they’ve already set themselves up for failure.

2. They’re unprepared. Sure, they have a general idea that they want to lose weight, but they most likely do not have a game plan.

3. Their goals are unclear.

4. They lack support. The going WILL GET TOUGH, and your support system is what will see you through to your goals.

5. Imagine going to another country you've never been to before. Now imagine if I handed you a GPS but didn't give you an address (a goal). You'd probably fail at getting to your destination, wouldn't you?

Now imagine if I said your destination was a house about 150 miles north. Well, you now have a general idea of where to go, but you'll still never get to your destination and, therefore, fail.

Get the picture?

Now imagine if I handed you a GPS AND gave you the address of the house you needed to end up at.

Once you type your goal destination into the GPS, it will give you VERY specific turn-by-turn directions AND a very realistic timeline in which you'll arrive.

Duh!

Makes sense, right?

Yet, nearly 96% of all people who set weight loss goals for the new year don't know how much they want to lose.

And even if they can pinpoint a target number of lbs they want to lose they still don't have a "turn-by-turn" game plan to get there.

Now, the reason I'm on this soapbox ranting is that I'm sick and tired of good people being misled and being told half-truths.

Frankly, I hate the idea of a "New Year’s resolution". That's just way too much pressure to put on anyone. PLUS, the way I see it, you can do anything you want to, anytime you want to.

You don't need to wait till the New Year. If you're the type of person that I think you are, I'm willing to bet that you can do anything you put your mind to, and you can do it whenever you want.

Now, if when you want to start is now, then start now.

And if you want to start in the New Year, fine with me, start then. But do it because you made the decision to do it, not because the talking heads on TV and radio influenced you to do it.

And now that you know how NOT TO FAIL you can achieve whatever goal it is that you want to achieve.